love on the brain
by fadedmonsters
Summary: Is love something The Winter Soldier is capable of? Was madness something The Doctor could let herself give in to? Weekly updates.
1. Chapter 1

If you would have told Dr. Giselle Gilmore a few hours ago that she'd be kidnapped from her home, sacked, and knocked out only to regain consciousness in the back of a moving vehicle, she would have laughed in your face and asked if an appointment to see her would be necessary.

But alas, that was her current predicament.

Giselle wasn't sure how long she had been out for but her muscles felt stiff. She made to move but found that her hands were tied, as well as her ankles. Licking her dry lips, she tasted something metallic; blood. Darkness surrounded her, as there was a cover over her head. Feeling her heart accelerate, she took in deep breaths to calm down so the panic wouldn't send her over the edge. She tried to squirm around but as soon as she kicked her legs out, she felt the heavy force of the vehicle door. The sound of someone clearing their throat made her freeze.

"I'd stay put if I were you, doctor."

Giselle wasn't familiar with the male voice. She tried recalling something that had happened earlier this week. There was an elderly patient of hers who kept asking her to prescribe him Xanax, but seeing as he had a history of abusing prescriptions, blood clots in his heart, and early signs of dementia, she refused. He had thrown a fit and not only threatened to call the board on her, but said that he knew some people. He had to be escorted out of the building. Giselle wasn't sure what to think. She highly doubted the old man would have been capable of hiring hitmen and having them take her away. Her mind was a jumbled mess.

Not sure of how much time had passed since she heard the man speak, she felt the vehicle slowing down. There had been many turns before they reached what she figured was their destination. She felt a foot kick her in her back and she let out a whimper when they took hold of her feet and unhooked the chains from her ankles. She was suddenly grabbed by the arms and hoisted up on her feet. The grips on her arms were tight and unpleasant. Whoever was man-handling her jumped down and picked her up into the air for a split moment before they set her back down on the ground. As she took a few steps, she felt hard cement under her shoes. She could hear cars and honking all around her. Dragging her forward, she tried not to trip as the mysterious person held onto her arm tightly and walked fast. There was the sound of a metal-clank all around her and immediately felt a burst of cold air hit her. Walking forward, or more like being dragged along forward, she tried not to trip. The metal-clank sounded off again, this time behind her and she realized that she must have entered some sort of building.

The cover was removed from her head and she stopped in her tracks as she stared around. Feeling as disoriented and nauseous as she was, she tried to keep herself as composed as possible. The man on her left was tall, had a shaved head and blue eyes. He had a very creepy look on his face. There was a second man, taller than the first who grunted and tapped on the ear piece he wore. He had an unfriendly look on his face. His dark brown eyes were staring into her soul.

"Wilhelm, this is her?" he asked after a moment.

The man with the blue eyes, Wilhelm, nodded.

Another man appeared out of nowhere and stood before them, "Rumlow, they're making their way down now." And with that, he turned to leave.

Rumlow, the second man, nodded and let out a humorless chuckle.

"He's going to kill you."

With that ominous comment, Rumlow started walking forward. Wilhelm pushed Giselle roughly to get her to start walking and she did so without question. It hadn't escaped her eye that these guys had guns. Big guns. They continued along the stretch of corridor passing numerous steel doors. She had absolutely no idea where they were. A few minutes had passed and they stopped when they reached a wall that had steel bars. The steel bars were actually a door that lead into an open room that appeared to be a safety deposit box vault. They were in a bank? She was beyond confused. There were several men standing by with guns. Two were huddled close together speaking quietly. They had blue lab coats on. They kept glancing at something that was inside the vault room and she tried to peer inside to take a better look. She could just barely make out the silhouette of a man inside sitting on a chair before Rumlow blocked her view. There were footsteps echoing from down the hall and when Giselle looked up, she saw that the man named Wilhelm started to look uncomfortable when he caught glance of who was coming to them from behind. Most of the men around her suddenly stood rigid and it was more quiet than before. A bead of sweat ran down from Wilhelm's hairline and she could see the vein in his forehead protruding. She didn't dare to turn around out of fear.

"Please, tell me my time isn't being wasted and that you've all got the soldier under control."

Giselle froze at the sound of that voice. It was one that she was all too familiar with. She had lived with that voice for twenty years. Fear turned into more confusion as she turned on her heel and her eyes widened, suspicions confirmed. It was Alexander Pierce.

"Dad?" she said quietly, her voice full of hurt.

"Fuck me." Wilhelm said under his breath behind her.

Alexander stopped short upon seeing his step-daughter.

"Giselle what the hell are you doing here?" he asked, eyes wide and alarmed.

"What am I doing here? That's a question I should ask you! I was kidnapped from my home and thrown into a car for hours!" she said.

"By who?" he asked quickly.

"I don't know, this guy?" she said as she pointed behind her at Wilhelm.

Alexander stared behind her and his lips pursed.

"When I told you I needed a goddamn physician, I didn't ask you to bring in my goddamn step-daughter!" Alexander shouted and both Wilhelm and Giselle winced.

"I had no idea sir." Wilhelm said quickly.

"Obviously!" Alexander said as he paced, scratching his head, deep in thought.

"Okay, what the hell is going on? Alex, I need to know, please." Giselle pleaded.

Alexander stopped pacing and stared at his step-daughter.

"First things first…" he said, reaching into the gun holster of the man who stood beside him. Lifting the gun up, it was aimed at her head and she felt her heartbeat pound in her chest as she flinched when the gun went off. She let out a loud shriek and then she heard the sound of a heavy thud hit the floor behind her. She felt her body shake when she noticed Wilhelm dead on the ground, a bullet hole right in the center of his forehead. Looking over at Rumlow, he had kept a straight face, staring straight ahead. A few tears slipped out as she looked back up at the man she had called her father for the last twenty years of her life. She didn't know that man anymore.

"You know me as the Head of the World Security Council, but I have some… extracurricular activities I partake in on the weekends… don't tell your mom…" letting out a chuckle, he waved the gun in the air for a second before handing it back over to the man he had taken it from. "You are in one of the last few standing HYDRA bases in the United States."

"HYDRA?" she repeated the foreign word shakily.

"Yes, HYDRA. Remember all those stories I told you when you were younger? The ones about the good guys who were trying to take out the bad guys but in the end, the bad guys won? Well, we're the bad guys. And we're going to win."

"Win what?" she asked.

"The world."


	2. Chapter 2

A few hours had passed since Giselle found out the truth behind her stepfather and the organization she had been kidnapped into. It all felt like another world to her now. Her views about everything had changed. Alexander had carefully briefed her on everything that the organization 'Hydra' had done in the last century, and she was at a loss for words. So many things from the past had made much more sense now. The historic assassinations, the genocide, so many bad things that had happened in this world happened because of them. And they thought they had been doing something for the greater good. She had thrown up twice after the 'agents' had left her alone to her thoughts. Her stepfather had stepped out to handle a situation with one of his 'soldiers'.

Reaching for the bottle of water they had given her earlier, she brought it up to her lips and downed the rest. There was a very acidic taste in the back of her throat and she was trying to get rid of it. They had allowed her to use the small restroom that was in the room she had been detained in and she looked at herself in the mirror. The dried blood that had been running down her nose and onto her lips was long gone and wiped away. There was a bruise forming around the bridge where she had been hit with the butt of a gun when they captured her. She hadn't been resilient. She put up a fight to hell. Her brown hair that was earlier curled to perfection now hung limply around her shoulders. Her usually bright green eyes were now a dim hazel color. She looked just as unhappy and torn up as she felt inside.

Hydra needed a physician to help maintain their soldiers healthy. One in particular, 'one of their best' Alex had mentioned, had been showing signs of declining health. None of the top scientists could figure out what was wrong with him because physically he was in top shape. He had almost failed one of his last missions and they couldn't risk having to put him down. He had 'done a lot to help mankind' in the last fifty years and if all went accordingly, it could be fifty more.

At first, Alexander had been trying to figure out a plan to remove Giselle from the situation.

"How in the fuck did Wilhelm end up finding her?" Alexander asked the room full of agents.

Rumlow cleared his throat before speaking out, "He said he Googled her, sir."

That had Alexander seeing red for a while. The man was given one simple task and he messed up. It wasn't exactly a secret that Giselle was his step-daughter, they were seen by the public eye together countless times. That's what ticked him off to hell. A simple 'Google' search would have shown him that they were related. He was going to remind himself to Google her name later to see just exactly what popped up. The damage had been done though; she was now a witness to everything they had going on. After he had left for an hour to clear his mind, he had come to a conclusion to make his decision. He could use her to his advantage, and keeping her under his nose meant he could worry less about who she was talking to about what was going on. He'd be able to keep a very close eye on her more than ever now.

So it was decided, against her own will really, that she would be staying and put on board to be Hydra's newest 'physician' on call.

With a heavy sigh, Giselle took a step back and threw her empty bottle into a trash can that stood across from her. She took one last look in the mirror before straightening herself out and exiting through the door. The tall agent from before, Rumlow, was waiting for her with his hands behind his back. She raised a brow at him.

"What now?" she asked, the tone of her voice heavy and sad.

"I've been asked to escort you to one of our soldiers." He said before turning and motioning for the door.

Without another word, she followed him out of the room. They made their way through several long corridors and Giselle cursed at herself for not truly paying any attention to where they were. She hadn't been thinking of escaping, but it would have been a good idea to have some sense of where she was. She didn't have much time to dwell on it though because they had stopped at the barred off vault they had been to when she first arrived. She glanced ahead curiously and saw the same man she had seen earlier sitting in the same position.

"He's… stable. For now." One of the men in the blue coats said before opening the door and letting both Rumlow and Giselle through.

As they stepped inside, Giselle took a look around the room. They were definitely in some old abandoned bank. A wealthy one at that. She had only seen bank vaults like these in movies. Hundreds of safety deposit boxes were lined up one after another along the walls. In the center of the room was the man. He had hair up to his shoulders and a scruffy beard. His eyes were downcast. He made no sudden movement as they walked up to him. His shoulders went up and down as he breathed and it was then that she realized, he had a metal arm. From the tip of his finger and all the way up to his left shoulder. His right arm was perfectly fine.

"Here is all that you need to know..." Rumlow said, bringing her out of her head and she turned to see him handing her a manila folder. Inside were numerous reports on the man's health. His name wasn't printed anywhere and she looked up.

"What's your name?" she asked the man. He remained silent.

"They call him The Winter Soldier." Rumlow spoke behind her.

"He doesn't have an actual name?" she asked again, turning her head to look at the agent.

"Pierce mentioned the little details, did he not?" he asked and Giselle shook her head; Rumlow smirked.

"There's a lot you still don't know then. You will in time. For now, start your charts."

With an eye roll, Giselle set down the folder on a metal desk that was beside where the man was sitting. The chair seemed to be some sort of operating table that moved mechanically up and down. She saw the switch buttons on the side. She found a clipboard with blank sheets of paper for her to get started on checking him. She was about to ask what tools she'd be using when she glanced down below and found everything she needed. A stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, and temperature device were bundled together in a black bag. She reached down for it and set it on the table laying them out. As she put her stethoscope over her neck, she went to reach out to him and saw him wince just slightly before she took her hand back down.

"Hi sweetie, my name is Giselle Gilmore." She started softly, as she usually did with any new patients. "I'm going to be evaluating you for the time being. There's not going to be much done today but I am going to check your vitals, is it okay if I listen to your heart?" she asked him.

"If he hasn't choked you out yet that means you're good to go." Rumlow said from behind and she frowned as she turned to glare at the agent.

When she turned back and realized the man hadn't said yes or no, she took that as a positive sign to move forward.

Carefully, she pressed the stethoscope against his chest and he froze. He had literally stopped breathing momentarily and she had to clear her throat for him to look up at her. He had such crystal clear blue eyes. They held such emotion in them that she had to look away. His heart sounded normal, although a bit jumpy at times. She concluded that it was from the new interaction he was having. She wasn't sure how nice other physicians had been to him if at this point they'd already be choked out apparently.

"Heart sounds good." She smiled as she jotted down a few notes on her clipboard. "I'm going to check your blood pressure now…" she said as she set her pen down and picked up the wrist cuff. These weren't her favorite; she liked to use the old fashioned arm cuff's that you'd have to pump but it would do for now. She placed it on his fleshy wrist and waited a few moments as the small monitor beeped and she jotted down the date and the results.

"Blood pressure is a little high." She murmured as she wrote down a few extra notes and then looked up.

The last instrument was a non-contact body temperature thermometer and after she waved it over his forehead, she took a step back and waited a moment for the results.

"Ninety-eight point eight." she said and scribbled the last of her notes before looking back up. "You seem healthy. Blood pressure is a little high, but other than that, you're in… good shape."

Good shape was putting it mild. This man was a hunk in all honesty. He had a very slim, but muscular physique. Her expertise wasn't that of a psychiatrist or a psychologist, but there were a few things nagging at her in the back of her mind that she didn't want to speak out about yet, not until she visited him a few times. She still had a lot to learn apparently, and she knew there had to be more information out there about him. There were a lot of things left unsaid and she was going to find out what they were.

The man barely acknowledged anything she said, and Agent Rumlow spoke up.

"He doesn't talk much."

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious. Is there anything else you'd like to point out? My hair is limp, I've got a bruised nose thanks to your dead friend and I missed my Zumba class, am I missing something?" she snapped. Rumlow glared at her sudden snarky response and tapped his earpiece.

"She's all done."

Two suited men with guns came into view and unlocked the vault door. One entered as the other kept the door open. Giselle looked back at the man with no name. He had this look in his eyes like he was screaming out at her, but there was nothing else any of them could do. She saw that same look in many of her patients before; ones with traumatic backgrounds. There were so many things left unsaid about their past that they were afraid to speak out about in fear of retribution.

That's the reason she swore she would comply with whatever Hydra wanted.

"Breathe one word of anything going on here to anyone and there will be consequences, I'm sorry to say." Alexander had reminded her. The words were there on the back of her mind the entire time. She knew a real threat when she heard one, and that was it.

Giselle knew she was way in over her head, but she was going to save lives regardless.

It was her duty.


	3. Chapter 3

Giselle had just barely managed to continue life like she hadn't been kidnapped and threatened two weeks prior.

Things had been tense and awkward ever since she left the Hydra facility. Her stepfather's warning was on the back of her mind all day and night. She had to continue going to work as normal, go to her fitness classes with her usual perkiness, and keep her social media active and going like always. It had taken a slight toll on her, but she kept managing. With the help of certain medication…

It was Thursday evening and she had just gotten home to from picking up food at the deli down the road. It had been a fairly long day at work and she was tired. Many patients tried to squeeze themselves in last minute like they usually did because she didn't work Fridays or the weekends. Just as she sat down on the couch, sandwich in her lap, a knock at the door made her turn her head and grimace.

Standing, she set her sandwich down on the coffee table and headed to the door. When she looked through the peep hole her body froze. A man standing dressed all in black stood on the other side and she cursed silently. Unlocking the door, she opened it reluctantly and sighed.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm Agent Rollins and I'm here to collect you. Pierce has requested that you come in today." The agent said.

"I'm going to grab my bag." She said and turned, leaving him at the door.

Walking back over to her living room, she grabbed her bag and made sure she had all her necessary tools. She picked up her keys, phone and sandwich. When she went back, the agent was still waiting for her and she internally rolled her eyes as she stepped out and locked up behind her. They headed down in the elevator in silence. Making their way outside, she spotted a large black SUV parked a few feet away and the agent went ahead of her to open the door. She climbed inside and after the agent got in the front, the driver took off to their destination.

"It's nice not to be gagged and handcuffed this time around, did you guys take up etiquette classes while I was away?" she asked as she reached in her bag for her sandwich. Agent Rollins grunted but remained silent after that. With a shrug, she began to eat her late lunch, early dinner food.

Staring out the window at the busy streets of D.C., she thought of a few things; who else out there was Hydra and she didn't even know it? How many people went about their daily lives in this world and had no idea there was evil lurking just next door to them? It amazed her to no end. She knew all about the 'inhumans', the 'villains' and the 'superhero's' that were popping up little by little all around the world, but to have some sort of connection to that, on the villain side, made her all the more uneasy.

About half an hour had passed by and she realized she had no idea where she was going anymore. She had lost her sense of direction, but knew that this was a side of town she had never really been through. She had tried to make sense of where she had been the first time they took her back home but she could barely make out any landmarks from how dark it had been then. Night was starting to roll in and she couldn't see too well through the tinted windows anymore. She gave up after a while and just sat back for the rest of the ride.

Arriving at the facility after another ten minutes of driving, they parked the car out back of the building.

Agent Rollins opened the door and extended his hand out for her to take and she placed her sandwich wrapper in it as she stepped out.

Smirking, she made her way over to where two armed agents were standing by the same heavy metal doors she had gone through the first time she had been there. Rollins marched behind her. Upon entering, she shivered. The corridors were just as cold and as quiet as she remembered. When they made their way down a slightly familiar hallway, she realized they were heading towards the vault room. When the agent stopped at the barred doors, she looked inside and saw the man with no name.

A heavy weight felt as if it was placed upon her chest when she stepped inside and saw him shirtless, gripping the side edges of his seat.

"Hi." She said quietly, placing her bag down on the metal table.

No response.

"Do you remember who I am?" she asked.

The man looked up at her with those bright blue eyes of his and nodded.

"Alright, well, I'm going to go ahead and take your vitals like I did the last time." She said and smiled as she went to take her tools out.

Putting on her stethoscope, she placed one hand on his shoulder and the other went to his chest to place the tool over his heart. His skin was warm. His heart sounded a little erratic. One of his biceps twitched and she had to remain focused on the ceiling rather than his sculpted chest. After a moment, she moved the stethoscope to his back and placed it in several different areas before she picked up her note book and wrote down today's date along with the rest of his vitals.

"You are seemingly healthy… once again. Although I'd watch what you're eating over the next few days, or maybe it's stress? Your heartbeat and blood pressure are a little high. Not concerning, but for your age and… physique, it's just odd. Other than that, you're good." She finished.

There were no signs pointing to a reason for him not performing well. If there was something going on beneath the surface, there were different tests she had to run. And thinking about it, she should probably get some blood samples for lab work to see what was really going on…

"I'm going to need some lab work done. Who do I talk to about this?" she asked, turning to look at Rollins.

The agent shrugged, "You can talk to the scientists that are here usually. They are the ones that run a bunch of tests on him, so…"

Giselle sighed and nodded, turning back to her notebook and jotting down the last of her notes.

There were heavy footsteps coming from down the hall and when she turned to see who had arrived, she let out a shaky breath.

Alexander Pierce and Agent Rumlow were side by side as they entered the vault.

Without a word, Alexander stared at the soldier sitting on the cot and then turned to look at his stepdaughter.

"How is he?" he asked.

Giselle set her pen down and turned to her stepfather.

"He's seems healthy," she shrugged. "But I'm going to need to run some lab tests on him. There's no telling what is really going on until we check internally…"

"We'll have them bring you the equipment tomorrow. Anything else?" he asked.

"No. Is this all you needed from me today?" she asked.

"Yes and no. We set up a room for you here tonight. I need you to stay over the weekend. You didn't have any plans, did you?" Alexander said, watching her carefully.

"Besides yoga, no, not really. Exactly where am I staying?" she asked anxiously.

"We have rooms set up for our full time agents. You'll be staying in one of them. I need your work here to start soon because we have plans that have to be put in motion. We can't be delayed. Understood?"

"Understood." She said without emotion.

Alexander nodded and smiled, "Good. We've assigned you protection around the clock for not only your sanity but mine as well. I've got a meeting out in Los Angeles tomorrow morning so I have to head out and pack. I'll let your mother know you said hi." He said, stepping forward and placing a kiss on Giselle's forehead; she tried not to cringe.

"Have a safe trip." She managed to call out before he left the room.

With a sigh, she turned back to the soldier.

"He's my stepfather." She shrugged, noticing the slight look of confusion on his face.

The expression on his face immediately went back to being blank. She gathered her equipment and put it away in her bag. She looked over at him for a moment and then looked behind her at the agent who stood on guard. She turned back and took a step closer to him.

"You don't… sleep in here, do you?" she asked quietly.

The man looked up at her and shook his head no.

That was a relief.

"Okay, good." She nodded and placed her bag strap on her shoulder.

"Well, I don't know when I'll see you again… maybe tomorrow morning for some lab work? I suggest you don't eat or drink anything after midnight, alright? I want to make sure the tests come out clear. Have a good night, alright?" she said with a small smile. He gave her a small nod.

"Dr. Gilmore, follow me." Agent Rollins said as they walked out of the vault.

Before she left, she took one last look at the man on the cot and she pursed her lips. She didn't want to overstep any boundaries just yet. She'd eventually start asking more questions but for now, she'd remain silent. She followed the agent to an elevator that took them down a few floors. She wondered just how big this facility actually was. They got off on a floor that looked a little more 'villain-lair' than bank building. There were more metal doors and windows that belonged to certain rooms. All doors had to be accessed with a swipe card or code from what she was seeing. Not many agents wandered the halls either. The ones that she did see were just guarding doors and corners. She had absolutely no idea how bad this place actually was. She almost didn't want to know.

 _What the hell was going on that they needed all these people?_

These were the thoughts that had kept her up late at night.

They finally stopped at a large metal door that looked like an elevator door, but when Agent Rollins swiped a card through the key pad, it made a beeping noise and the doors opened to reveal another hallway. This one was shorter though. The same doors were just up ahead and the agent stopped and handed her a swipe card.

"That's for you. There are many doors that you won't have access to. You will however have access to your room, the dining hall, rec room, and infirmary. Don't try to wander, we're not here to babysit you. Pierce reminded me that he'll have whatever you needed to assess the soldier by tomorrow morning. Have a good night." He said before turning to leave.

Giselle was left with her hand still in the air holding her swipe card and a raised eyebrow.

If there was an award for 'Best Host of All Time' he would definitely not be a recipient.

Swiping her card through the keypad, the light flashed green and the doors opened wide.

The room was not what she expected. Although, she had no idea what she expected at all. Stepping through, she took a good look around. There wasn't much to it. Everything was laid out together like a small studio. The entire room was white except for a purple see-though panel that separated the bathroom from the actual room. There was a large bed with white bedding on the right side and on the left, a desk across from it that was attached to the wall. The words that came to mind was sleek and modern. There were no windows but there was a decent-sized flat screen TV attached to the wall in front of the bed. She placed her bag down and went to sit at the edge of the bed.

Giselle was not feeling at all okay about any of this. She tried to keep herself seemingly cool and calm but inside she was a mess. A few tears slipped out as she gripped her knees. It was suddenly dawning on her that this was reality. She had really been kidnapped two weeks ago, her stepfather was a part of some secret-terrorist villain group, and she would be aiding their soldiers. That had been the plan. A plan that she truly didn't even agree with. She was thrown into this mess, literally.

"What the fuck is happening?" she asked herself.

After a few minutes, she got up and started to look around the room. There was a small closet near the bed that she stuffed her bag in. There were drawers filled with scrubs. Upon checking sizes, she tried not to freak out realizing they were her exact number. She didn't want to know how they knew. After opening a few more empty drawers she opened one last one up to reveal that they were full of underwear. They weren't lacy or thongs or colorful; they were all black and standard. She quickly closed the drawer trying not to think too much of it. The agents had known she was going to be staying. They had prepped for her. She felt extremely betrayed. She could sense that none of this was going to end well.


	4. Chapter 4

That night, after a long shower, she went to bed crying and in the morning, she woke up to a damp, tear-stained pillow.

There was a knock at her door and she froze. After a moment, the door beeped and they opened up to reveal Agent Rumlow. She quickly sat up.

"Hello! Ever heard of privacy?"

Agent Rumlow rolled his eyes and tossed a heavy envelope at her.

"Good morning. That packet is all you need to know about Hydra. We figured you'd find a way to do your own little research so we're saving you the trouble. Inside you will also find out more about the soldier you've been specifically treating lately. If you're hungry, I'd get dressed and hit the dining hall before breakfast runs out. I'll be outside." He said as he turned to leave the room.

Still slightly shocked at everything he'd managed to rush out in a matter of seconds, she looked back down at the packet. Opening it, she took out a large file labeled 'Classified.' Inside were numerous reports on hit and kills from the last century thanks to Hydra. It was no surprise when she saw JFK's name. Everyone on the list in one way or another had wanted to help better the world. Even Howard and Maria Stark were on it. She felt a chill run up and down her body. Hydra was responsible for so much innocent blood. She set the file down and picked up the folder that read 'Winter Soldier' on the front.

Inside was a stats cover page and a picture attached. The picture was of the man she had been treating, except he had shorter hair and no facial stub. He looked so young and happy. What had her confused was that it had been in black and white and a bit frayed. She had seen similar pictures of her grandparents. Picking up the picture, she set it aside and scanned the page it had been attached to.

'James Buchanan Barnes, DOB: March 10, 1917'

 _1917?_

 _What the hell?_

Reading through the paper more carefully this time, she realized that James Buchanan Barnes was the man she had read about before at The Smithsonian!

There was a whole exhibit dedicated to the life and achievements of Captain America from the forties and today. She had gone to go see it when it first opened to the public. There had been a whole dedication just to his childhood best friend, Bucky Barnes; he had helped Captain America throughout the war back in the day.

Giselle couldn't believe her eyes as she continued to read through his file. Her heart felt heavy. He had almost lost his life at war and had been captured by Hydra but was saved by Captain America. They had been through many missions together before their last one where Bucky had fallen out of a train and was thought to have died. That's what the public knew; but in the file, the details of how they had found him unconscious and bleeding out from a severed arm were making her want to throw up. He had been found by Hydra scientists and taken back to the lab to be experimented on. They turned him into a weapon. For years and years he was put in and out of a cryogenic chamber and used to carry out Hydra's dirty plans. It all made sense now and she really didn't want to believe that any of it was true, but it was staring at her there in the face.

After failing to calm herself down, she went to go wash up and get dressed for the day to put herself somewhat at ease. James' file had put her off so bad. This was more of a wakeup call than anything. She had actually sat on the edge of the bathtub to cry for a few minutes. She couldn't believe all that he had been through and he was still here today taking their orders with no free will.

When she finished up, she stared at herself in the mirror. Her black scrubs were soft and comfortable and fit her just right. Her shoes had been the ones she had gotten here with. Her hair was tied into a low ponytail with some strands falling out to frame her face. Her eyes were the same hazel color they had been for a couple weeks now; the dullness had set in. Long gone was the sparkle. Whether she liked it or not, she had to go face the day. She wasn't ready to be killed off just yet. There was still a lot she wanted to accomplish with her life and she knew that cooperation was key to survival in this type of situation.

Just like he had said, Agent Rumlow was found waiting just outside her door.

"Took you long enough," he muttered. "Your patient is waiting so you're going to have to skip breakfast for today."

"Used to it." She shrugged, following along.

When they made it to the familiar vault, she tried to compose herself before stepping in. All was quiet and she saw James… or, Bucky, sitting on his usual chair. Next to him was the same metal table only today there were materials on top that were for blood collection. Tubes and syringes and a small cup for a urine sample. She looked over at her patient.

"Good morning." She said quietly.

The silent nod was reassuring and she looked back at Agent Rumlow.

"Do you mind giving us some privacy?" she asked.

Agent Rumlow gave her a look before shrugging and stepping out of the room. She waited until she heard his footsteps quiet down the hallway and she turned back to the soldier. She crossed her arms and pulled up the spinning-chair to sit on it in front of him. The soldier was dressed in black pants and a black shirt. His hair was down in its usual disarray. She saw him differently today than before. She knew the horrors of his past now. She knew why he was quiet, and emotionless. She now knew the horrible things that he had gone through to get to where he was today. And none of it was his fault...

"So… first thing's first. I'm gonna talk and let you know a little bit about myself, and if you want to at the end, you can tell me about yourself. My name is Giselle Gilmore. You can call me Giselle, or my friends usually call me Gigi for short. I'm 25. I've been living in D.C. since I was five, and before that, I was born in New York. I graduated high school at 17 and was able to do dual enrollment and get a head start at college. I always knew I wanted to be a doctor. Thanks to my dad." She said with a small smile. The soldier stared at her thoughtfully and nodded. She looked behind her and then back to him as she scooted closer. "Do you know what your name is?" she asked and he shook his head once. She let out a humorless chuckle, "I'm going to tell you something that you need to keep to yourself, okay?" she said and his eyes squinted warily at her but he nodded. She sighed heavily, "I was able to read some of your file and… there are things I don't want to mention just yet because I don't want to… trigger you too much but… your name is James. James Buchanan Barnes."

The soldier stared at her, eyes wide.

It was quiet for a moment and she felt her heart pounding in her chest.

"James." He said finally.

"Yes, James." She nodded with a small smile. He stayed quiet and her anxiety was weighing on her.

"I… it doesn't sound familiar to me. But… it feels… right." He finally said after a moment; his voice was deep and a bit hoarse.

Giselle gave him a small reassuring smile.

"There's a lot going on I don't know here. I'm sure there are many things they keep you in the dark about as well. But I figured that can be something you hold onto, James. You don't mind that I call you by your name, do you?" she asked. He looked up at her thoughtfully and then nodded.

"That's fine."

Giselle smiled and patted his knee, "Great. Alright, so… let me get started on your vitals for today."

After going through her usual routine with him, quietly and quickly as possible, she took a step back and crossed her arms.

"Okay so, next thing on the list… your blood work. When was the last time you ate?" she asked.

James licked his lips and crossed his hands, "Yesterday morning."

"By choice?" she asked warily. He shook his head.

Giselle let out a sigh, "Do you mind if I take hold of your arm?" he shook his head and slowly brought it up to her.

She looked at the inside bend of his arm to see if he had any good veins by slapping the area a few times. The veins were scattered and not very prominent but she saw a few she could possibly work with. It wasn't going to be easy since he hadn't eaten apparently for almost twenty-four hours, but she would make it work.

"Well, it's good that your system will be clear but, you need to better nourish yourself." She said and went to make a few notes in her notebook before turning back to him. "I'm going to take a few samples of your blood now. I'll be testing them for various reasons and concerns. I'll also need a urine sample but that won't have to be right now, I'm sure you're dry as hell at the moment. Once you get some liquid in you just get the sample to me." She smiled and went ahead to put some gloves on.

Gathering her supplies, she found a page full of labels that she'd put on the clear blood collection tubes. She wrote in all the correct information for each label and then stuck them on the tubes. She picked up a syringe and then she took a moment to let him know she'd be taking his arm again and finding a good vein to stick. After a few seconds of searching, she managed to find a big enough vein and she carefully pierced his skin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his metal hand twitch but she kept focus. The blood didn't immediately come rushing out like it should have so she tried again. This time she was luckier. As the first tube filled up, she removed it and replaced it with a second one. That one filled up and she did the same thing a few more times. Once she finished, she ripped open a Band-Aid and placed it where she had stuck the needle in him to stop any more bleeding from coming out. She collected the tubes and placed them together in the small plastic crate that had been on the table.

"All done! You did a great job, thank you. I'm gonna have these tested and I'll bring you back in when I get the results. Until then, I need you to go eat something. Doctor's orders." Giselle smiled.

James stared at her and nodded but didn't make any moves to get up.

"Do they have to come and get you?" she asked and he nodded.

After jotting down a few extra notes, she gathered her things and packed up her bag. Rumlow had come in just a few minutes later and sent her back to her room. She had to wait a few hours until the test results from his blood work came back. There were many different things they were testing him for; more so than what she usually asked her patients to test for.

Besides that, she was feeling good about the fact that she had gotten him to talk. She had thought it would take longer but after Rumlow had given her the file that morning, she knew what she had to do. She had to give him some sort of hope to hold onto. She'd seen the look on his face; he had no hope. He had nothing. No emotions whatsoever and today she had elicited not only curiosity but shock and thoughtfulness.

Hydra was obviously concerned about their soldier's wellbeing to a sick extent. They needed healthy killing machines. That much was apparent. Almost every 'agent' she'd encountered or seen so far was physically fit above and beyond. Every day that she thought about the things that were going on just under her nose, it made her want to throw up. There was absolutely nothing she could do now. She kept hope that things would change for the better, but she had no idea they were eventually only going to get worse.

* * *

A/N: Yay, he speaks! Hahaha. I hope everyone is having a great winter break! Happy holidays and happy New Year! More will be coming soon!


	5. Chapter 5

Later that night, Giselle heard a knock at her door.

"Come in." she called out.

Half expecting Agent Rumlow to come in through, she didn't really look up but when she heard a clearing of throat her head turned.

"Alex." She said.

"Giselle." He nodded.

"How was L.A.?" she asked, stopping at her task and setting her pen down to give him her attention.

"Uneventful. I got to try one of those... acai bowls though. Interesting stuff." he said.

"So, what brings you back here then?" she asked, turning in her seat at the desk.

"I just wanted to see how everything was going." he said, sitting at the edge of her bed.

"It's going…" she shrugged.

"I wanted to remind you that you are helping us do so much good. Don't forget that. It may seem… unethical, but, Hydra gets done what needs to be done."

Suppressing an eye roll, she clasped her hands together on her lap, "I still don't understand."

Alex smiled, "You will. All in time. They'll be taking you in for evaluation tomorrow, standard for everyone here."

"What kind of evaluation?" she asked.

That had her feeling unsettled.

"Mental, physical, etcetera, etcetera."

Alexander Stood and placed a hand on Giselle's shoulder.

"You can leave tomorrow night and be home in time to get some sleep for work on Monday. I'll see you then." He said and before he turned to leave, he grabbed her cell phone that had been sitting next to her papers. "I'll be taking this for safekeeping until you leave. Can't have any temptation lying around, no room for fuck ups."

Giselle sat there as he made his way out if her room, mouth slightly open and she scoffed, turning back in her seat.

"No room for fuck ups." She mocked as she picked her pen up and started to scribble notes like she previously had been doing.

A beeping noise came from over where the TV hung, and then a male voice spoke up.

"Good evening Dr. Gilmore," the voice said. "Your lab results for Barnes have come in and are waiting for review at the infirmary room."

"Exactly where is that?" she asked.

"We'll have an agent escort you momentarily." The voice said and then the TV beeped one last time before all was quiet once more.

Gathering her papers, she made sure to file away everything neatly. She grabbed her notebook and set it on the bed where she sat to put her shoes on. A knock at her door came after a few moments and she called out for them to come in. Her doors opened wide to reveal an agent she had never seen before. He was tall and broad with sandy colored hair and blue eyes. He had one of the friendliest faces she'd seen so far while here.

"Dr. Gilmore." He smiled and she had to do a double take.

"No one smiles around here. Am I about to be taken to a torture chamber instead of a lab?" she asked, taking a step back.

The agent chuckled and shook his head, "No. I'm escorting you to the lab so you review the test results for The Winter Soldier. My name is Gabriel."

"Wow, okay." She said as she stood and took hold of her belongings. "Nice to meet you then."

They made their way to the door and Gabriel let her go out first. For the most part, they were quiet as they made their way down the now familiar halls. When they got into the elevator, a few more Hydra agents got in with them so it took some extra time to get down to their designated floor. As soon as they arrived at the laboratory, Giselle went straight to the large table in the center of the room where there were multiple files awaiting her.

Picking up the first one, she scanned the first few pages to see that they were copies of the work she had ordered and sent out to test. The following files though were where she found her answers. She skimmed through not really noticing anything in particular stick out to her. James was, as she had predicted, healthy. For the most part. She found that he had high sodium levels, hypertension, and is lactose intolerant; the last fact made her chuckle for some odd reason.

A Hydra assassin couldn't eat ice cream and that made her incredibly sad.

Setting the folder down, she took out her notebook and wrote down a few notes.

"So, how is he then?" Gabriel asked from behind her.

"He's fit as a fiddle for the most part. When do I see him to give him his results?" she asked as she continued to write.

"Uh, all I know is that after this I'm escorting you back to your room and I will also be taking you in for evaluation first thing tomorrow morning." He said.

Giselle stopped writing and looked back at him, "What type of evaluation?" she asked.

"I'm not cleared to release that sort of information to you, I'm sorry." He said.

"Are they going to hurt me?"

Gabriel looked at her for a moment before shaking his head, "If Hydra wanted to hurt you, they would have already."

* * *

Early the following morning, true to his word, Gabriel had escorted Giselle to a room for evaluation.

The room they were in was small and cold. There was a large metal table she had been sitting at on a swivel chair for the last ten minutes. There was a water fountain on the opposite end and other than that, there was nothing else. The walls were plain and the floors were shiny. She resorted to chewing on a fingernail out of anxiety while she waited. It wasn't long after that that a man came through the door; mid-forties maybe, tall, and a suspicious smile on his face.

"Dr. Gilmore." He greeted her with a curt nod. "I'm Agent John Garrett. I'll be doing your evaluation today, amongst other things."

"I won't be running the mile, will I?" she asked sarcastically.

Agent Garrett chuckled as he set a few supplies down, "It's usually seven."

Taking a step back, he took out a small device from his pocket and then extended his hand out. "I need to see your finger. This will monitor your heart rate and what not."

After slipping it on, he sat down.

"So, Pierce being your stepfather… must be very rewarding."

"Not lately." She shrugged.

"It can't be that bad? Highest ranking Hydra official, you get to call him daddy. Must be nice to feel so secure. Hydra's got some big plans." He said.

"When does my evaluation start?" she asked, ignoring his comments.

"It already did." He said and stood.

Giselle watched him warily as he paced around.

"You'll be taking care of some of us if we get knocked around too hard, is that correct?" he asked.

"That's what I've been told." She nodded.

"The guys could use a fresh face around here. What the Winter Soldier did to our last physician was… well… his loss, your gain." Giselle fought the urge to roll her eyes in his face. There was something off about him. He opened up a file and his eyes darted around before he closed it and looked back up. "State your full name." he said.

"Giselle Beatrice Marie Gilmore." She answered.

"When were you born?"

"August 17, 1990."

"24, right? That's pretty young for a doctor…" he said as he clasped his hands together after setting the file down.

"I'm good at what I do." She shrugged.

"Where did you go to school for your doctorate?" he asked.

"University of California in San Francisco."

"How old were you when your mother married Pierce?"

"Five."

"How did your father die?"

Giselle glared at him and pursed her lips. She wasn't sure why he was asking all these types of questions. It irked her and she could see the faint smug look on his face when he noticed her hesitate. She sighed and adjusted herself in her seat.

"My father died in a car accident on his way to a charity event."

"You were four years old, correct?" he asked.

Giselle nodded, "Yes."

"Do you remember him?"

With a shrug, she crossed her arms together over her chest.

"I remember bits and pieces. I know he was a good man. He was always trying to do the right thing."

"And in the end, trying to do the right thing is what got him killed."

Giselle's fists tightened, "What do you mean by that?"

Agent Garrett leaned forward and slid a file over to her. He nodded for her to open it and she looked at it warily. Hesitating for a moment longer, she then decided to open the file. She gasped seeing a picture of her father. It was the picture he had taken for his medical badge; the same one she kept with her at all times as a keepsake.

"What is this?" she asked, looking up.

"Read the file." He said simply.

Giselle picked up the first page. It was his official death certificate. She'd seen it once before while snooping through her mother's boxes once after they moved houses before she left for college. He had died on December 3rd, 1994. Attached to the death certificate was another paper. One she had not seen before. It looked to be like a call conversation sheet. She read through it, unsure of what exactly she was supposed to be reading about; the two different people were discussing plans to murder a man. As she read one of the next few lines, she felt her skin crawl.

' _It's been said that Jack Gilmore will address the public on his miracle breakthrough…'_

' _He must be stopped.'_

'… _dead, not alive.'_

Giselle felt tears in her eyes waiting to spill out.

"I hate to be the one that discloses this type of information, but your father was murdered." he said seriously.

"What?" she gasped out.

"He had found a cure to cancer. Not many doctors in this world have the mind for it, but the one's that do, well… they have to be crossed off. The medical field is a big one, as I'm sure you know. If the cure for cancer was being made, pharmaceutical companies would lose a lot of money. It brings in a ton of it, more than you think. Hydra had taken out a few doctors before him as well, and he was next on the list after he revealed to the wrong person he had been doing years of research and trials before it had been perfected. He got to treat one patient and made them cancer-free. He wasn't so lucky after that." he finished.

"You're telling me that Hydra murdered my father because he just wanted to save lives?!" she shouted out.

"Dr. Gilmore, calm down." He said in a warning tone.

"Calm down? Calm down?! Don't tell me to calm down after you tell me that you've murdered my father!" she yelled.

Agent Garrett watched her as she stood, her chair scraping hard on the floor as it was pushed back.

"I didn't, and if it were my choice I personally would not have done that but… some other poor, hungry agent was the unfortunate one to do so."

Without warning, she grabbed the papers he had on the table and threw them at the wall before running towards the door. She tried to open the handle but it wouldn't budge. She looked back, eyes wide as she saw Agent Garrett a few feet away, gun pointed at her.

"Let me out." She said quietly.

"You need to calm down Dr. Gilmore. I know this is a lot to take in but-"

Before he could finish his sentence, she turned and pounded on the door multiple times.

The door burst open and Gabriel came through, gun aimed up and alert.

"Garrett, what's going on?" he asked, eyes trained on Giselle.

"She's having a bit of a melt down, I've got this under control." Agent Garrett said, gun still aimed at Giselle. Gabriel looked over at the agent and back at her.

"The situation does not look under control."

Agent Garrett rolled his eyes before putting his gun down and back in its holster on his upper thigh.

Gabriel put his gun down, which hadn't even been aimed at anyone specific and cleared his throat.

"You good?" he asked Giselle.

Giselle shook her head, tears spilling over.

"I just need to go back to my room, please." She said quietly.

"What are your orders, sir?" Gabriel asked Garrett.

"Just take her back, we'll finish tonight." He said with an unnecessary smile and moved forward to walk passed the pair.

Gabriel looked behind him and then back at Giselle, "You good to go now or do you need a second?"

With a shake of her head, she started to make her way towards the door to leave. The agent followed behind her and they made their way back to her room. Besides the never-ending sniffles from Giselle, it was quiet between the two. When they got to her door, she turned around, eyes red and fierce.

"Did you know?" she asked, quietly.

Gabriel looked confused, "Know what?"

"Did you know about my father? Does everyone?" she asked loudly.

"About Pierce? Yeah, we all know who he is, and after you got here it was a hot topic in the gym but-"

"No," she said, cutting him off and shaking her head, "About my real father, not that scumbag. Did you know they murdered my real father?" she asked again.

"No, I didn't." Gabriel said. "I'm actually kind of new around here. I'm one of the last people to have been recruited so far. I don't know much. I only know what they tell me, when it's important."

Giselle stared at him looking for any sort of deceit in his eyes but she found none. Either he was telling the truth or he was a really good liar. At the moment, she couldn't find the will to care anymore. She sighed and took her swipe card out to open her door. It slid open and she stepped inside, not looking back as it shut behind her.

A moment passed and she collapsed onto the floor, a tearful mess.

Everything she had known was a lie. Since she'd arrived at this place, reality was weighing down on her massively but it was at this moment that she really felt the urge to throw up again. She realized again that this was all very real and it was happening to her. She could not believe what she had read. They murdered her father! Murdered him just because he wanted to save lives; he had big plans. Her mother was very high maintenance and usually kept to herself but she never had anything other than good things to say about her father. She suddenly wondered if her mother had known. She had to, especially marrying Alex. Did she? Or did he lie to her too and then marry her? A ringing sound in Giselle's ear made her clutch her head and she sobbed harder. It was all too much for her to handle at the moment, there were too many thoughts flying in and out of her mind.

A beep from her TV made her look up and she heard a familiar male voice come through.

"Dr. Gilmore, you're patient is ready for their lab results. Barnes will be in the exam room. Will you need an escort?" they asked.

"No." she managed to rasp out.

Another beep and silence.

Except for her sniffles.

Giselle stood up and headed to the bathroom where she got an exaggerated amount of tissues to wipe her tears and blow her nose with. She remembered seeing the exam room not too far away from where the lab had been so she knew she could confidently find it. After looking herself over in the mirror, she sighed. Her nose and eyes were red and her face felt as puffy as it looked. She had no other choice but to move on. Turning, she made her way to the desk and grabbed her folder with James' papers.

Grabbing her swipe card, she headed out of her room and to the elevator. Reaching the floor, she walked out and made her way as if she was going to the lab but just a few doors before that, she spotted a guard standing directly in front of the door labeled 'Exam Room.' Clearing her throat, the guard stepped aside to let her through. She knocked gently before entering, an old and learned habit, and stepped inside.

James was sitting on an exam bed, head down and arms crossed.

"Good morning." She said quietly.

James looked up at her and his gaze held hers.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Giselle looked around the room for any signs of cameras and when she found none, she looked back at him.

"There are no cameras in here. Or mics." He said knowingly.

Giselle bit her lip, torn between wanting to blab to him, and also trying to remain professional.

This wasn't the time and place.

"It's nothing… I'm… fine. I, uh, I got your lab results back." She said quickly.

Setting his folder down on the desk, she noticed a small cup with a soft yellow colored liquid inside.

"Urine sample?" she asked. He shrugged and nodded.

Smiling slightly, she walked over to the wall where a box of gloves hung and snapped some on before looking through the cabinets and rummaging around until she found a clear sample bag. She picked the cup up and placed it inside, sealing the content. Setting it aside, she took her gloves off and tossed them in a small trash bin in the corner.

"I'll get that sent to the lab today, thank you. So… let us begin," she said as she sat down on the swivel chair beside the table. "One of your reports mentioned that your last physical was over two months ago. Obviously, they examined you physically, and they came up with nothing as to why you aren't performing as well as you should be. We still have yet to make an exact conclusion as to why that is, medically speaking. But your lab results show that you have high sodium levels; I'm guessing that's from the shit food they give here. Because of that, I'm sure it's also the reason you have slight hypertension. That and maybe all the stress you're under could be the cause as well. Funnily enough to top it all off, you're lactose intolerant." She finished with a slight smile.

James had been stone still the entire time she had been talking up until the last comment. She was sure that for just a split second, he broke whatever façade he had up and looked slightly embarrassed. His jaw twitched and he licked his lips.

"So… no ice cream sundaes for you after dinner." She joked lightly.

James nodded and his arms uncrossed as he adjusted himself to sit farther back on his seat.

"Any questions?" she asked.

"Hypertension? That is…?"

"Abnormally high blood pressure." She answered.

"Oh."

Giselle clicked her pen a couple times before setting it down and clasping her hands together.

"Do you mind if I ask a personal question?"

James shrugged and she took that as an answer.

"How long do you remember being here?" she asked.

"Last I remember… it was the early sixties." He answered, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"What happened then?" she asked.

"I assassinated President Kennedy."

Giselle's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Storytime is over." He said, sitting up straight.

The door burst open and in walked Agent Rumlow.

"You." he looked at James, "Out. Now. You're needed in Hall H."

James stood and without another glance at the doctor, he stepped out of the room, two armed guards on his tail.

"And you," Agent Rumlow said, turning to Giselle, "You're to go pack up whatever you need. You're being sent home."

Without another word herself, she gathered her things and made her way out the door. Before going back to her room, she stopped by the laboratory and spoke with one of the lab techs asking her to test the urine sample James had given her. She then headed back to her room to get her things for the day.

As she got ready to go, she thought about what James had said before he left her.

The Winter Soldier had assassinated President John F. Kennedy.

It made sense now, but it wasn't any less unsettling. She couldn't believe they had made him do that. For what reason? What good was the President trying to do at the time that got him killed? That's what she wondered. After hearing about what happened to her father, she could only imagine what happened to many others out there in the world. She felt sad. She felt angry.

When she got home later that afternoon, she felt sleepy.

The weekend had finally caught up to her and she immediately headed straight to bed, mind tired but racing with all the new information she had discovered.


	6. Chapter 6

"Earth to Dr. Gilmore?"

Giselle's eyes snapped up at her nurse and shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Sorry, I'm out of it today. It's been a long week." Giselle said with a sigh, gathering her lunch trash.

"Long week?" Danielle chuckled, "It's only Wednesday."

"Is it? Wow. Well, in that case… thank God." Giselle muttered, standing up to toss her trash in the bin at the corner. She grabbed her water bottle and downed the rest before tossing it out as well.

"You okay Gigi? You've been, well… really out of it every day. What's going on?" Danielle asked.

Giselle stared at the young woman for a moment. She could tell that she was genuinely concerned. Danielle was one of the nurses she was closer to than the rest here, but she wasn't close enough to consider a best friend. She couldn't talk to her about what was really going on. No way was she about to drag anyone innocent into her situation.

"I'm fine, really. I just have a lot going on right now." Giselle said as she smiled at her co-worker reassuringly.

"Okay but if there's anything I can help with, just let me know." Danielle said and gave Giselle a hopeful smile.

"Will do, thank you." She said before stepping out of the break room.

Heading down the hall, she went straight to her office to get her coat and prepare herself for her next patient.

Being out of the hospital and in a small practice was starting to sound unappealing to her. When she was back in the hospital, there was always something to do. She had been in the Emergency Department so something was always going on. Now, she had a lot of downtime. Downtime meant her mind would wander and she'd have time to think about things she didn't _want_ to think about. At least until the weekend.

But, she chose this path and she had to stick it out for a while longer.

Not for herself, but for her boss; Dr. Eduardo Perez.

Eduardo was an older man, 54 years old, born in Puerto Rico and that's where he studied medicine as well before coming to the states. They met a few times at the hospital she had been working in for a year after she graduated. Many of her doctor friends had recommended her to him when he asked about anyone that might have an interest in working at a small practice. Apparently, Giselle worked too hard and she deserved to take some down time. A few of her co-workers agreed that it would probably be a good idea for her, and after meeting with Eduardo personally, she immediately liked him. He was funny but also serious when the time called for it. They bonded well enough that after a couple weeks, she decided she'd go over to his practice to help him out for a few months. It was just him and a few nurses, but now there were two doctors. He had a heap of patients to take on his own and she had no idea how he managed his time before she came. A few months turned into a little over a year. She still hadn't left him.

So she felt as if she had an obligation and although in the last few days she had been thinking of transferring again, maybe putting in her letter, she couldn't bring herself to even say it out loud. She loved this place in all honesty, but she was starting to remember why she loved the Emergency Department more. She was always preoccupied and that made the day or night go by faster.

Just thinking about the fact that in two days she'd be back inside that Hydra facility made her skin crawl.

Thinking about that also made her think about her father and that brought a new fresh wave of emotions out of her once again.

Closing her patients file, she took a minute to breathe evenly.

After a moment, she sighed and opened up the file again.

* * *

Friday came all too soon for Giselle's liking.

The weekend meant she'd be going back to Hydra.

Getting home, she packed a small bag and texted her yoga instructor that she would not be attending this weekend's classes. She needed them now more than ever though. She felt completely out of whack these last few weeks, with good reason. She had maybe less than an hour to herself before she heard a knock at her door and she knew it was a Hydra agent waiting for her.

Like usual, she headed out, locked her apartment up, and they went down to the car waiting outside by the curb.

When they got to the facility, she followed the agent who took her to her room.

Before opening the door, Agent Rumlow called out her name.

"We've got some new orders."

"New orders?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

"You ever heard of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" he asked.

"No." she answered.

"They're very high up on our list of enemies. You're going to be infiltrating them with me this weekend. A spot opened up over at their Emergency Department and they could use a skilled doctor like you. So, get your story straight and get dressed. We're leaving in an hour." He said as he slapped a file against her chest. She grabbed onto it and stared at him incredulously.

"What the hell? What about my real job? How am I going to manage that when you guys have me playing doctor over here with you guys and now I'll be doing that somewhere else?" she asked suspiciously.

"Don't worry about that, we've got it taken care of. Meet us outside in fifty-nine minutes." He said before turning to leave.

Looking down, she opened the file up and the first page was information all about whatever S.H.I.E.L.D. was.

Hydra made S.H.I.E.L.D. sound like they were the Devil, when she in fact knew deep down they were probably the opposite; at least from what she had read and interpreted. Also, the fact that the Avengers worked with this group was another clue. They couldn't have been as bad as Hydra made them out to be if _'Earth's Mightiest Heroes'_ were working with them.

Giselle was all for superheroes. She stood by them. The world needed something to compete with all the new alien activity and technology happening in the last decade or so. Myths were a thing of the past. Aliens, Gods, and superheroes were all very real now. Not all were good but not all were bad either. Time and time again, it's been proven that humans alone cannot stop the threats that come their way, no. They needed something greater; The Avengers.

After reading through the file she'd been given, she went to the bathroom to freshen up. She was sure that her outfit would be appropriate. She was still wearing her black slacks and a button up blouse. It wasn't anything too fancy, but it would do for a meeting. She fixed up her hair so it didn't look so fallen apart and she grabbed her medical bag. Her cell phone was usually taken away the moment she got to base so there wasn't much else she had with her.

Meeting up with Rumlow, she followed him out to where she was usually dropped off and they got in a black SUV. Agent Rollins, along with a few others also got in a car behind them and then they took off. She wasn't sure where they were heading out to exactly so she looked over at the agent beside her.

"Are you just going to bust in there guns blazing? Won't they know you're Hydra?"

Rumlow chuckled, "Trust me, they won't know. We've all got a role to play. You have yours, we have ours. S.H.I.E.L.D. has set up a special missions unit; the Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies, or S.T.R.I.K.E. We are S.T.R.I.K.E."

"Won't it seem suspicious if I go in with you guys?"

"You won't be going in with us, you're going in with your stepfather who put in a great word for you with the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." he said.

"Alex will be there?" she asked, her anxiety slowly creeping in.

"Yep." Rumlow said as he stared out the window.

Giselle remained quiet as she stared out of her own window. She felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. That feeling would never go away as long as her stepfather was around. He completely betrayed her and she didn't trust him. Long gone was the father figure she had seen in him. To keep her mind from wandering into unnecessary thoughts, she kept in mind what she needed to remember for when she met the Director. She was not happy with her current job and was looking for something she could advance in. Life was getting a little bit boring and uninteresting, so, this is where Alex came in and told her that he had a job offer for her if she was up for it. That was the script she had to stick with.

The car ride was long and mostly quiet but when they started slowing down and nearing a very large concrete gate, she looked up. They arrived at their destination. After getting cleared to enter, the SUV drove in the very long driveway. As they neared the end of the road, she looked up out the window. It was a very large building that she could only imagine what was within.

"This building is called The Triskelion. It's S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters." Rumlow said from beside her. He stopped walking for a moment and handed her a small black device. "Take this and stash it." He said before turning. She quickly put the device away in her back pocket without asking any further questions.

As they got closer to the front of the building, the car stopped and Rumlow got out. He made his way over to her side and opened the door for her. She stepped out and ignored his extended hand but walked passed him when she spotted Alex. He was standing tall and arrogantly with a few agents surrounding him. She also noticed one of his close friends, Jasper Sitwell.

"Dr. Gilmore, nice to see you again." Jasper greeted her with a small smile.

"Nice to see you as well." She said, returning the smile.

"Hello Giselle. Let's go get inside, shall we?" Alex said as he started to make his way into the building.

They entered through the doors and her eyes scanned all around her. The building was huge. The first floor was very wide open and there were people all over the place; S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, she thought. In the center of the floor, there was a large, sleek statue shaped like what looked to be like an eagle. It was very nice. As she turned, she caught Jasper, Agent Rumlow, and his group all make their way ahead of them but before she continued to follow, Alex stopped at the front desk and a woman came around to greet them.

"Good evening Mr. Pierce, Dr. Gilmore. Here's your pass for your stay." The woman said as she handed Giselle a badge to wear. It was plain black other than her name and a small chip at the bottom. She smiled and thanked the woman as she attached it to the belt loop of her pants.

"Alexander Pierce!" a loud voice boomed from beside them and they all turned to see a tall, dark man heading their way.

"Nick. Always good to see you old friend." Alex said as he embraced the man. Giselle noticed that this man was wearing an eye patch on his left eye. "This is my stepdaughter, Giselle." He said.

They took a step away from each other before Nick, stuck his hand out to her and she took it, shaking it gently.

"It's very nice to meet you Giselle, I've heard so many great things about you. I'm Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." he said.

"Very nice to meet you as well Mr. Fury, this is… a lot you've got going on in here." She said.

"Oh you haven't even seen all of it yet, and it's just Fury, no formalities around here. Let's head up, there's some people I'd like you to meet." He said with a knowing smile as he turned and they followed, making their way over to the far wall where a few elevators were stationed. As soon as they got in, Fury swiped his card through a keypad before pressing the button to the floor they were headed to.

"So, a doctor at 24 years old, how in the hell did you manage that?" Fury asked her.

The elevator took off a little faster than she thought would happen and she grabbed onto the rail behind her.

"I've just always been really good in school and I aspired to be like my father." Giselle said, glancing over at Alex who kept a tight smile on his face.

"And I've heard a lot about Oliver Gilmore's work. Very impressive stuff. He'd be very proud of you." Fury said with a nod and Giselle sighed internally as she placed her hand on Alex's shoulder.

"Couldn't have done it all without this one though. I got to go to all of the best schools thanks to him, which also encouraged me to do well in my classes." She shrugged.

"Anything for my little girl." Alex said as he squeezed her hand.

The elevator slowed down significantly before they heard the 'ding' and they got off on the 41st floor.

"Let's step into my office." Alex said as he led the way.

Giselle kept behind as Fury and Alex spoke to each other as they walked down the hall ahead of her. The floor was quiet but when they rounded the corner, she saw Agent Rumlow and the other Hydra agents all sitting in a small lounge area in the center of the room talking to each other. She glanced at them before looking back to where Fury and Alex were headed, which was towards the end of the hall way, towards a large frosted window wall. There was a door that when Alex placed his hand on a scan pad, it opened. They stepped into the large airy space and Giselle let out a whistle.

"So this is where you spend your days and nights? I wouldn't go home to mom if I had this view either." She said with a laugh as she walked towards the large glass wall with the scenic view of Potomac River.

"You told me she was smart, you didn't tell me she was funny." Fury said as he sat in one of the leather seats that were in front of a large desk.

"I don't try, it just sort of happens sometimes." She shrugged, looking out at the view before turning back at the two men and smiling.

Alex went ahead and unbuttoned his jacket before sitting at his desk.

"Let's talk business." He said.

"It's pretty simple," Fury started. "We're looking for an on-call doctor and Pierce said you'd be our girl. How do you feel about stitching up superheroes?"

"Superheroes?" Giselle asked, sitting down.

"Do we bring him in?" Fury asked, glancing over at Alex.

"I don't see why not…" Alex said as he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed in a few numbers. After a moment, the line went through and he smiled. "Send Rogers in."

"We've heard you have great quick-thinking skills. We need those around here. Shit happens and we need someone we can trust. I've got a lot going on so I have no doubt in my mind that bringing you on board would help us out tremendously. I wouldn't have to worry about all those background checks and lie detectors and what not with you… I won't have to, will I?" Fury asked, raising his eyebrow at her and she chuckled.

"Definitely not sir. Your secret here is safe with me. 'Til death do we part." She said.

A knock came at the door before it opened.

In stepped one of the most gorgeous men Giselle had ever seen.

"Steve Rogers," Alex said from his desk, "This is my stepdaughter, Giselle Gilmore. Giselle, meet Captain America."

"Oh shit." She breathed out quietly.


End file.
